The Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday No. 32 and last in the NFL in total defense, and they didn’t move up in their trip to Denver.

The Broncos walloped the Cowboys 44-24 at Empower Field at Mile High, scoring their most points in Sean Payton’s three seasons as head coach.

“We wanted to keep them last,’’ Payton said after the resounding win.

Dallas once had the “Doomsday Defense,” but that was many decades ago. The Broncos (6-2) dissected the Cowboys throughout Sunday’s game, rolling up 426 yards.

Bo Nix threw four touchdown passes. Rookie running back RJ Harvey scored three times, including on a 40-yard run. And J.K. Dobbins ran for 111 yards as the Broncos put up 179 as a team.

“I thought it was a pretty one-sided game,’’ said Payton, whose team won its fifth straight game and ninth in a row at home.

It sure was. The Broncos, wearing throwback uniforms, took leads of 14-3 after the first quarter, 27-10 at halftime, and 44-17 midway through the fourth quarter.

The game came on the heels of the Broncos being shut out in the first three quarters the previous Sunday before scoring 33 points in the fourth quarter to stun the New York Giants 33-32. While there was plenty of celebrating after that game, the Broncos knew there were a lot of things to clean up.

“Last week we played crappy,’’ said Dobbins, who signed as a free agent in June. “I know we came back and all that but that was a terrible win. I didn’t come here for that. I want to come here and impose our will. I want to be the Chiefs of the NFL.”

Dobbins said Sunday was a “great win” but that the Broncos “still haven’t scratched the surface of what we can be.”

After the win over the Giants, Payton stressed the need for Denver to get off to faster starts. And when they won the coin toss Sunday, the Broncos took the ball rather than deferring.

On the first series, Nix was picked off by Trikweze Bridges, who returned the ball seven yards to the Dallas 48. But the Broncos then held the Cowboys to a field goal after they had first-and-goal at the 4 and second-and-goal at the 1.

“We started in a funky way, but holding them to a field goal, it changed the momentum,’’ said Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.

It sure did. The Broncos took the lead for good at 7-3 on Harvey’s 40-yard touchdown run and then went up 14-3 later in the first quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Troy Franklin.

Harvey added a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for a 27-10 lead when he took a direct snap from center. He closed out Denver’s scoring on a 5-yard reception from Nix in the fourth quarter for the 44-17 lead.

“It means a lot,’’ Harvey said of becoming the first Broncos rookie to score three touchdowns in a game since running back Clinton Portis did it Dec. 15, 2002, against Kansas City. “It’s a great confidence booster.”

Harvey had 46 yards rushing and his only catch was the one for the score. Asked whether he will keep the balls from all three touchdowns, Harvey said he will hold onto just the 40-yard one as well as his throwback jersey.

It was a strong game for two other Broncos rookies. Wide receiver Pat Bryant had a 24-yard touchdown catch from Nix in the second quarter for the 27-10 Denver lead. And cornerback Jahdae Barron had his first career interception in the final minute of the second quarter.

That was the first of two interceptions thrown by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, the other coming in the fourth quarter by outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman at the Denver 9. Tillman bowled over two defenders and then romped 26 yards to the 45.

The Cowboys (3-4-1) entered the game No. 1 in the NFL in total offense. But the Broncos held them in check, allowing 339 yards, more than 50 under their average. Prescott completed 19 of 31 passes for 188 yards. Former Denver running back Javonte Williams, who entered the game second in the NFL in rushing, scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs but had just 41 yards on 13 carries.

“I loved the fact that we took one of the top defenses in football against one of the best offenses, and we won on that side of it,’’ Payton said.

The Broncos slowed down the Cowboys despite star cornerback Pat Surtain II not playing in the second half after he suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half. But second-year man Kris Abrams-Draine had a solid outing in relief of Surtain.

The Broncos, who lead the NFL with 36 sacks, only dropped Prescott twice. But they had eight quarterback hits and bothered him with pressure throughout the game.

“(It was) just stopping the run and putting pressure on the passer as everybody did,’’ said Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper. “You got to make (Presscott) uncomfortable and you can’t let them get into a rhythm.”

When it came to Denver’s offense going against the Cowboys’ defnese, Payton said “it wasn’t close.” Nix completed 19 of 29 passes for 247 yards. In addition to throwing two touchdown passes to Harvey, he tossed two to Franklin, who had six catches for 89 yards. Franklin’s other score came on a 7-yard grab that put the Broncos up 37-17 early in the fourth quarter.

“We played really well on all cylinders,’’ sad Nix, who said he couldn’t “go into a shell for the rest of the game” after his interception. “Run game, pass game, third downs, base downs, we played well in the red zone and scored points. … Our defense played well and got us the ball back a lot.”

It was an all-around top notch showing by Denver. It came on the heels of some recent uneven showings even though the Broncos had been continuing to win.

“I think it’s a testament to when we put our minds to something, we can accomplish it,’’ said tight end Evan Engram. The proof is in the pudding. We know what we’re capable of and we got to continue to do it.”

But the Broncos won’t in the near future get to do it against a defense as bad as Dallas’ unit. Next Sunday, they play at Houston, which is No. 1 in the NFL in scoring defense.